SLY Synonyms: 169 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'sly' distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of sly are artful , crafty , cunning , foxy , slick , tricky , and wily . While all these words mean "attaining or seeking to attain one's ends by guileful or devious means," sly implies furtiveness, lack of candor, and skill in concealing one's aims and methods. // a sly corporate raider

Q: Where would 'artful' be a reasonable alternative to 'sly'?

The words artful and sly are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, artful implies indirectness in dealing and often connotes sophistication or cleverness. // elicited the information by artful questioning

Q: When could 'crafty' be used to replace 'sly'?

While in some cases nearly identical to sly , crafty implies cleverness and subtlety of method. // a crafty lefthander

Q: In what contexts can 'cunning' take the place of 'sly'?

While the synonyms cunning and sly are close in meaning, cunning suggests the inventive use of sometimes limited intelligence in overreaching or circumventing. // the cunning fox avoided the trap

Q: When is it sensible to use 'foxy' instead of 'sly'?

The synonyms foxy and sly are sometimes interchangeable, but foxy implies a shrewd and wary craftiness usually involving devious dealing. // a foxy publicity man planting stories

Q: When is 'slick' a more appropriate choice than 'sly'?

In some situations, the words slick and sly are roughly equivalent. However, slick emphasizes smoothness and guile. // slick operators selling time-sharing

Q: When might 'tricky' be a better fit than 'sly'?

Although the words tricky and sly have much in common, tricky is more likely to suggest shiftiness and unreliability than skill in deception and maneuvering. // a tricky political operative

Q: When would 'wily' be a good substitute for 'sly'?

The meanings of wily and sly largely overlap; however, wily implies skill and deception in maneuvering. // the wily fugitive escaped the posse

sly

adjective

ˈslī

Definition of sly

as in cunning

clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means the movie pairs a sly, dissembling ex-con with an upstanding, straight-arrow cop

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in shady

given to acting in secret and to concealing one's intentions why, you sly fellow! I had no idea you were planning my birthday party a sly undercover police officer

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in mischievous

tending to or exhibiting reckless playfulness a sly sense of humor

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word sly distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of sly are artful, crafty, cunning, foxy, slick, tricky, and wily. While all these words mean "attaining or seeking to attain one's ends by guileful or devious means," sly implies furtiveness, lack of candor, and skill in concealing one's aims and methods.

a sly corporate raider

Where would artful be a reasonable alternative to sly?

The words artful and sly are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, artful implies indirectness in dealing and often connotes sophistication or cleverness.

elicited the information by artful questioning

When could crafty be used to replace sly?

While in some cases nearly identical to sly, crafty implies cleverness and subtlety of method.

a crafty lefthander

In what contexts can cunning take the place of sly?

While the synonyms cunning and sly are close in meaning, cunning suggests the inventive use of sometimes limited intelligence in overreaching or circumventing.

the cunning fox avoided the trap

When is it sensible to use foxy instead of sly?

The synonyms foxy and sly are sometimes interchangeable, but foxy implies a shrewd and wary craftiness usually involving devious dealing.

a foxy publicity man planting stories

When is slick a more appropriate choice than sly?

In some situations, the words slick and sly are roughly equivalent. However, slick emphasizes smoothness and guile.

slick operators selling time-sharing

When might tricky be a better fit than sly?

Although the words tricky and sly have much in common, tricky is more likely to suggest shiftiness and unreliability than skill in deception and maneuvering.

a tricky political operative

When would wily be a good substitute for sly?

The meanings of wily and sly largely overlap; however, wily implies skill and deception in maneuvering.

the wily fugitive escaped the posse

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of sly Indeed, Grozeva and Valchanov’s sly ability to shift tones from ripely comical to appalling is one of their defining features as filmmakers, along with a penchant for weird and wacky side characters. — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 14 July 2026 During the celebration, Haaland played it cool, looking into the crowd with a sly smile. — Tim Rohan, NBC news, 6 July 2026 Unlike the other luxury swimwear brands on this list that pay homage to the silhouettes and style cues of the ‘80s and ‘90s, Miaou’s suits come with a sly sense of humor and color palette straight from the early aughts. — Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 24 June 2026 But the plot is just a loose framework for the film’s real appeal, which is its sly sense of fun, fabulous costumes, and genius use of its limited indie resources. — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 12 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for sly

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sly

Adjective

Consider, for instance, the institution of oprichnina that Tsar Ivan IV established in 1565, through various cunning moves.

— Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
With the correct number of dots, no arrangement, however cunning, can dodge these shapes forever.

— Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of cunning

Adjective

For shady slopes, this evergreen, herbaceous perennial with striking yellow blooms makes excellent groundcover under trees.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 11 Aug. 2026
The massive trees had long been a home for rare species and a shady place for neighbors to gather.

— Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of shady

Adjective

For the kooky, mischievous and not-often-sober Shifty Gruff, Sheen was always the number one choice.

— Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026
As mischievous, myth-making Grandpa Walton, Will Geer endeared viewers with his warm and relatable approach to the character.

— Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of mischievous

Adjective

After Culkin penned a sweet message to Song on Instagram at the time, the actress responded by posting a cute Polaroid-style snap of the couple sharing a kiss on her own Instagram page.

— Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026
There are some really cute rooftop spots in the Beverly Hills area.

— Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of cute

Adjective

Worse still, the messages can be encoded such that a human trying to figure out what is going on will be unable to decode the sneaky digital traffic.

— Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
And don’t be afraid to protect yourself and your skin from all those sneaky germs lurking around you, hemlines aside.

— Kara Nesvig, Allure, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of sneaky

Adjective

Along with other large parts of Northwest Indiana, East Chicago was hit with power outages following a wicked storm that blasted through the area a week ago Tuesday.

— Lauren Victory, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
The electric 2026 Subaru Uncharted GT is wicked fast on the highway but rugged enough to tackle off-road duties.

— Brooke Crothers, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Definition of wicked

Adjective

Her lyrics, like those of many of her biggest musical influences, are dense texts, full of winking allusions and subtle references to records, bands, and albums that have shaped her own songwriting.

— Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2026
Izquierdo recommends asking for softly disconnected layers, a blended curtain fringe, and soft, subtle texture.

— Loren Savini, Allure, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of subtle

Browse Nearby Words

slutty

sly

slyboots

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“Sly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sly. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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